I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouthThis phrase indicates a divine intervention where God imposes silence on Ezekiel. In the context of prophetic ministry, speech is a primary tool, and its removal signifies a significant shift in how God communicates with His people. This act of silencing can be seen as a form of judgment, not only on Ezekiel but more so on the people of Israel, as they are deprived of hearing God's warnings and guidance. The imagery of the tongue sticking to the roof of the mouth suggests an involuntary and complete inability to speak, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. This mirrors other instances in Scripture where God controls speech, such as Zechariah's temporary muteness in Luke 1:20. and you will be silent
The enforced silence of Ezekiel serves as a symbolic act, reflecting the spiritual state of Israel. The silence can be seen as a response to the people's refusal to listen to God's words through His prophets. In a broader biblical context, silence often precedes judgment or significant divine action, as seen in Revelation 8:1, where silence in heaven precedes the opening of the seventh seal. This silence is not just a lack of speech but a profound pause that underscores the gravity of the people's rebellion. and unable to rebuke them
Ezekiel's inability to rebuke the Israelites highlights the severity of their rebellion. Rebuke is a form of correction and guidance, and its absence indicates that the people have reached a point where they are no longer receptive to correction. This reflects a theme found throughout the Old Testament, where persistent disobedience leads to a withdrawal of prophetic guidance, as seen in Amos 8:11-12, where a famine of hearing the words of the Lord is prophesied. The inability to rebuke also underscores the concept of divine judgment, where God allows people to face the consequences of their actions without further warning. though they are a rebellious house
The term "rebellious house" is a recurring description of Israel in the book of Ezekiel, emphasizing their persistent disobedience and resistance to God's commands. This characterization aligns with the historical context of Israel's repeated idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness, which led to their exile. The rebellion of Israel is a central theme in the prophetic literature, highlighting the contrast between God's faithfulness and the people's unfaithfulness. This phrase also foreshadows the ultimate need for a new covenant, as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34, which finds fulfillment in the New Testament through Jesus Christ, who offers redemption and transformation for a rebellious humanity. Persons / Places / Events 1. EzekielA prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile. Known for his vivid visions and symbolic actions. 2. GodThe sovereign Lord who communicates His will and judgment through His prophets, including Ezekiel. 3. IsraelitesReferred to as a "rebellious house," they are the people of God who have turned away from His commandments and are experiencing exile as a consequence. 4. BabylonThe place of exile for the Israelites, representing both physical and spiritual captivity. 5. Prophetic SilenceAn event where God temporarily silences Ezekiel, symbolizing the people's spiritual deafness and the seriousness of their rebellion. Teaching Points The Weight of Prophetic ResponsibilityProphets are called to deliver God's message faithfully, regardless of the audience's receptivity. The Consequences of RebellionPersistent disobedience can lead to a withdrawal of God's guidance and communication. The Role of Silence in God's PlanSometimes God uses silence to emphasize the gravity of a situation or to prepare His people for a future message. Spiritual Deafness and BlindnessA hardened heart can lead to spiritual insensitivity, making it difficult to hear and respond to God's voice. God's Sovereignty in CommunicationGod controls when and how His messages are delivered, demonstrating His ultimate authority over His word. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Ezekiel's experience of being silenced by God challenge our understanding of prophetic ministry? 2. In what ways can spiritual rebellion lead to a "silence" from God in our own lives today? 3. How can we ensure that we remain receptive to God's voice and avoid spiritual deafness? 4. What parallels can we draw between Ezekiel's situation and the New Testament accounts of prophetic silence or muteness? 5. How does understanding the original Hebrew context of "rebellious house" deepen our comprehension of Israel's spiritual state and its implications for us today? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 6Isaiah's commission and the theme of a prophet's message being rejected by a rebellious people. Jeremiah 1Jeremiah's call and the challenges he faces in delivering God's message to a resistant audience. Amos 8The prophecy of a famine of hearing the words of the Lord, highlighting the consequences of ignoring God's voice. Luke 1Zechariah's temporary muteness as a sign from God, paralleling Ezekiel's experience of silence. People EzekielPlaces Chebar, Tel-abibTopics Cause, Cleave, Dumb, Fixed, Hast, Moreover, Mouth, Mute, Palate, Protests, Rebellious, Rebuke, Rebukes, Reprove, Reprover, Roof, Silent, Stick, Though, Tongue, Unable, Uncontrolled, VoiceDictionary of Bible Themes Ezekiel 3:26 5168 muteness
5193 tongue
5950 silence Ezekiel 3:26-27 6223 rebellion, of Israel Library Cæsarius of Arles.
He was born in the district of Chalons-sur-Saone, A. D. 470. He seems to have been early awakened, by a pious education, to vital Christianity. When he was between seven and eight years old, it would often happen that he would give a portion of his clothes to the poor whom he met, and would say, when he came home, that he had been, constrained to do so. When yet a youth, he entered the celebrated convent on the island of Lerins, (Lerina,) in Provence, from which a spirit of deep and practical piety …
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark PlacesBoniface, Apostle of the Germans.
BONIFACE, or Winfried, as they called him in Anglo-Saxon, born at Crediton in Devonshire, in 680, deserves to be honoured as the father of the German Church, although he was by no means the first who brought the seeds of the Gospel to Germany. Many had already laboured before him; but the efforts which had been made here and there did not suffice to secure the endurance of Christianity amongst the many perils to which it was exposed. Christianity needs to be linked with firm ecclesiastical institutions, …
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places Epistle xxxiv. To Venantius, Ex-Monk, Patrician of Syracuse .
To Venantius, Ex-Monk, Patrician of Syracuse [1331] . Gregory to Venantius, &c. Many foolish men have supposed that, if I were advanced to the rank of the episcopate, I should decline to address thee, or to keep up communication with thee by letter. But this is not so; since I am compelled by the very necessity of my position not to hold my peace. For it is written, Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet (Isai. lviii. 1). And again it is written, I have given thee for a watchman …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great The Greatness of the Soul,
AND UNSPEAKABLENESS 0F THE LOSS THEREOF; WITH THE CAUSES OF THE LOSING IT. FIRST PREACHED AT PINNER'S HALL and now ENLARGED AND PUBLISHED FOR GOOD. By JOHN BUNYAN, London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682 Faithfully reprinted from the Author's First Edition. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Our curiosity is naturally excited to discover what a poor, unlettered mechanic, whose book-learning had been limited to the contents of one volume, could by possibility know …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Servant's Inflexible Resolve
'For the Lord God will help Me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set My face like a flint.'--ISAIAH l. 7. What a striking contrast between the tone of these words and of the preceding! There all is gentleness, docility, still communion, submission, patient endurance. Here all is energy and determination, resistance and martial vigour. It is like the contrast between a priest and a warrior. And that gentleness is the parent of this boldness. The same Will which is all submission …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Iranian Conquest
Drawn by Boudier, from the engraving in Coste and Flandin. The vignette, drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a statuette in terra-cotta, found in Southern Russia, represents a young Scythian. The Iranian religions--Cyrus in Lydia and at Babylon: Cambyses in Egypt --Darius and the organisation of the empire. The Median empire is the least known of all those which held sway for a time over the destinies of a portion of Western Asia. The reason of this is not to be ascribed to the shortness of its duration: …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9 The Prophet Jonah.
It has been asserted without any sufficient reason, that Jonah is older than Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah,--that he is the oldest among the prophets whose written monuments have been preserved to us. The passage in 2 Kings xiv. 25, where it is said, that Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, prophesied to Jeroboam the happy success of his arms, and the restoration of the ancient boundaries of Israel, and that this prophecy was confirmed by the event, cannot decide in favour of this assertion, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Ezekiel 3:26 NIVEzekiel 3:26 NLTEzekiel 3:26 ESVEzekiel 3:26 NASBEzekiel 3:26 KJV
Ezekiel 3:26 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
